Pesto: Magical Green Goop of the Gods

As per the request of my lovely friend Beth, I am sharing my well-loved Italian pesto recipe. This is a recipe I started making in high school with the help of a cookbook, but as following recipes isn't really my style, I soon started to make it up as I went along. At this point, I've probably made this pesto two dozen times, and it's a little different every time. There's definitely a lot of room to play with this recipe, so just take it and run with it.

When your pesto is all ready to go, spread it on some crustini or serve with warm pasta and parmesan cheese. It's a huge hit with everyone, and good for parties.

This picture here isn't my pesto, but this is what it ends up looking like. So yummy!

So here it is, just for Beth, Italian Basil Pesto:
(Please note, all these measures are approximations, since I never measure anything out with this recipe. Just have plenty of everything on hand and go from there)

Ingredients:
3 cups fresh basil
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup pine nuts
3 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Equipment:
1 pie or cake pan
A food processor (with the blade attachment in it)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pour the pine nuts into a pie or cake pan and toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown. I usually try to take them out and give them a little shake around the halfway point.
2. Wash and dry the basil and parsley, and pulse in the food processor to roughly chop.
3. Add the other ingredients to the herbs, pulsing the food processor as you go. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. The pesto should become a smooth, bright green paste. If it seems too dry or too salty, add a little more olive oil.
5. Be sure to taste throughout, adding a little of each ingredient until it tastes right. Of course, only you can be the judge of when it tastes "right." If there is too much of one thing, add a little more of all the other ingredients to even it out. Pesto is a balancing act.
6. It will keep in the fridge for a few days in tightly sealed container. When you are ready to eat, take it out and zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, stir, and add a little more olive oil to loosen it up again so that it will spread easily/mix well with pasta. 

So that's it! One of my absolute favorite sauces. It goes great on just about any carbohydrate--which is probably why I love it so much!

Enjoy, Bethy!